I was very disappointed a few weeks ago to learn that Google Cloud Print will be no longer be supported after the end of this month. I expect that all Chromebook users and many others are equally disappointed.

I travel a lot and I also own a Chromebook. This inexpensive laptop has become my favorite traveling computer. In fact, this article is being written on a Chromebook sitting on the dining room table at a friend's house in Massachusetts. (I have been on the road for 2 weeks but will return home this coming weekend.)

I normally do not travel with a printer. Instead, for the occasional printing need when traveling, I have used Google Cloud Print to print documents on my home printer from the Chromebook, no matter where I am in the world. Of course, I cannot pick up  the printout until I return home but that is normally wjhat I need anyway. I typically do not need the printed document whike still traveling.

In fact, I find Google Cloud Print. so useful that I have configured my other computers to also print via the same method.

Of course, Chromebook users weren't the only ones to use Google Cloud Print. So did millions of other laptop users, including those using Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Android, and Apple iOS laptops, tablet computers, or smartphones, all of which could print by using Google Cloud Print.

After being available for about ten years, Google recently announced that the Google Cloud Print. service will no longer be supported after December 31, 2020. Now I and thousands of other traveling computer users are left high and dry without printing capabilities. Or are we?

An article by Barclay Ballard in the TechRadar Pro web site may be the best source for information about remote printing. Ballard points out:

"Chrome OS has its own native printing solutions for Wi-Fi, CUPS, and local printing devices. Microsoft also launched its own Universal Print service earlier this year, while HP has its own cloud-based print offering.

"Other options that could be worth exploring may be found in Google Chrome’s collection of extensions. Plug-ins like EveryonePrint, may not have a major name like Google behind them, but they will be working hard to capture more market share by attracting former Google Cloud Print users."

You can find the article, including links to resources on other web sites, at: https://www.techradar.com/news/users-left-distraught-as-google-cloud-print-set-to-bite-the-dust.

The National Genealogical Society 2022 Family History Conference, Our American Mosaic, will be held in Sacramento, California, 25-28 May 2022. The call for proposals is now open and closes on 1 April 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

The complete Call For Proposals may be found on the NGS website at: https://www.ngsgenealogy.org/call-for-proposals-from-individuals/.

Prolific genealogy programmer Randy Majors has added a new Reference Maps section of the randymajors.com Research Hub website. Here is the announcement:

Excerpts: Quick Links: New Reference Maps section on randymajors.com Sometimes, you just need a quick reference map image rather than a fancy interactive map tool.   Well, for those times, you can now visit the new Reference Maps section of the randymajors.com Research Hub website.  You get there by going to this part of the menu on randymajors.com: On that menu, you'll find links to the following state-based map images: County Maps of each U.S. State City Limits Maps of each U.S. State Civil Township Maps by State ZIP Code Maps of each U.S. State Section Township Range Maps by State Using the Civil Township Maps by State as an example, click the image of the state you're interested in to go to that interactive map tool, like this: Once you're using the map tool, you can turn on other map layers in the lower left corner or zoom in further if name labels are not appearing on the map. But I thought you said reference map IMAGES?! Yep, I did :)  Just scroll down the page below the map tool.  You'll see a static image like this (only larger): Shortcut:  To go straight to the image from the Reference Map page, you can right-click the image thumbnail and choose 'Open image in new tab'. Note that some of the static map images cannot be labelled on a state-wide map because there are just way too many townships in some states.  If that's the case, just click through to the interactive map tool and zoom in a bit to your area of interest and labels will draw in a few seconds.   Also, if there is interest from people, I will create county-based map images for a more close-up view where more features can be labelled. Hope these reference maps come in handy from time to time. Happy mapping!

UPDATE: A typo error in the due date has been corrected.

The following announcement was written by the Genealogy Guys Podcast and by Vivid-Pix:

The Genealogy Guys and Vivid-Pix Announce

Society Grants Program and New Unsung Heroes Program Nominees

The Genealogy Guys Podcast, the world’s oldest genealogy podcast, and Vivid-Pix, makers of the acclaimed RESTORE photo and document image improvement software, announce a new Unsung Heroes Program and a call for nominations for Unsung Heroes Awards.

The partners created the Unsung Heroes Awards in 2019 to encourage, acknowledge and celebrate members of the genealogy community who lead the way in digitizing, indexing, and transcribing photos and documents, for use by researchers around the globe. They added a new Unsung Heroes Societies Grant Program in 2020 for societies to apply to receive a scanner and high-quality software to make digitization projects a reality.

Unsung Heroes Societies Grant Program

This program awards grants to two societies each year to facilitate their digitizing, indexing, and transcribing photographs and documents. The winning grantees each will receive a high-quality scanner, a backup and online storage software package, and two copies of Vivid-Pix RESTORE software to improve the legibility of documents, the color/contrast of photographs, and to add image tags and other important information to the image metadata. The grant package is valued at $500.

Applications must describe the intended use of the grant. Multiple applications may be submitted by a single society/chapter but grantees are limited to one grant per society. The grant application form is available at the Aha! Seminars, Inc., website at https://ahaseminars.com/cpage.php?pt=24. The due date for this grant is by midnight EDT on January 1, 2021 and should be sent to genealogyguys@gmail.com. Successful grantees will be announced separately at different times of the year by The Genealogy Guys Podcast and Vivid-Pix via press release, social media, and the partners’ websites. (The first grant recipient society was announced during the 2020 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference.) The next recipient will be announced during the RootsTech Connect Virtua Conference February, February 25-27, 2021.

Unsung Heroes Awards Program

The Unsung Heroes Awards Program continues to recognize individuals, societies, and libraries for their work in digitizing, indexing, and transcribing photographs and documents and making that work accessible to the genealogical community. All nominations are to be submitted using the nomination form at the Aha! Seminars, Inc., website at https://ahaseminars.com/cpage.php?pt=24. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged. The due date for the next set of nominations is midnight EDT on January 1, 2021, and should be sent to genealogyguys@gmail.com.

Award winners will receive a commemorative certificate, a customized mug that can include an image of their choice, and a copy of Vivid-Pix RESTORE software. Individual winners will also receive a one-year subscription to Genealogy Guys Learn, the online subscription education program. Winners will be announced by The Genealogy Guys Podcast and Vivid-Pix via press release, social media, and on the partners’ websites. Winners for the next round of category nominations will be announced during the RootsTech Connect Virtua Conference February, February 25-27, 2021. Nominations received from non-winners will be retained for consideration for future awards.

Instructions for Submissions

Full details of the programs are available at the Aha! Seminars, Inc., website at https://ahaseminars.com/cpage.php?pt=24. The grant application form and the award nomination form are available there in PDF format for download. If you have any questions, please email genealogyguys@gmail.com or aha@ahaseminars.com.

According to an announcement from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

"Under Pub. L. 101-249, use this form to request posthumous citizenship for an alien or noncitizen national whose death resulted from injury or disease incurred on active duty with the U.S. armed services during specified periods of military hostilities. Posthumous citizenship is an honorary status commemorating the bravery and sacrifices of these persons; it does not convey any benefits under the Immigration and Nationality Act to any relative of the decedent.

"If we approve your application, we will send you Form N-645, Certificate of Citizenship, in the name of the decedent. The certificate only establishes that we consider them to be a citizen of the United States as of the date of their death, and is invalid for all other purposes."

Details may be found at the Citizenship and Immigration Services website at: https://www.uscis.gov/n-644.

No, that is not a typo error. The request is for presentation proposals for April 27- 30, 2022, at the conference to be held at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio.

You can read the Call for Papers at: https://bit.ly/2VnfVLV.

A new scanner has just been announced by CZUR, called the CZUR Aura Mate Pro. In fact, it isn't even shipping yet. It has been announced on Indiegogo as the company raises funds to start production. I purchased an earlier CZUR scanner and am pleased with it. The new scanner is both a book scanner and document camera. I don't plan to purchase the new scanner as it is not a major upgrade. 

NOTE: I am not compensated in any way for writing about this scanner. I thought I would pass the information along to other genealogists, especially if they are in the market for a scanner. If you decide to order it or if you have further questions, please contact the CZUR Customer Service folks below. While I can describe my experience about the earlier CZUR scanner that I purchased, I am not able to answer questions about the newly-announced product.

Here is the advertisement for the CZUR Aura Mate Pro:

We are super excited to announce that CZUR Aura Mate Pro, the best premium book scanner and document camera, is now live on Indiegogo with a limited Super Early Bird Price of only $199, with worldwide free shipping! Featuring a dual-camera system, this is a perfect device for online-teaching, working from home, and business meetings! You can even use it for Zoom calls to boost work efficiency like never before! A 16-megapixel Sony sensor will give you crystal clear scans. Our patented Curve-Flattening Technology will give you absolutely flat scans of even books with thick spines! You can now scan a book in 8 minutes! Head to our campaign page now! Don' t miss out the Super Early Bird Price at only $199! Order Now!

Today is the first day of the month. That is still a good time to back up your genealogy files. Then test your backups!

Your backups aren't worth much unless you make a quick test by restoring a small file or two after the backup is completed.

Actually, you can make backups at any time. However, it is easier and safer if you have a specific schedule. The first day of the month is easy to remember, so I would suggest you back up your genealogy files at least on the first day of every month, if not more often. (My computers automatically make off-site backups of all new files every few minutes.)

Given the events of the past few months with genealogy websites laying off employees and cutting back on services, you now need backup copies of everything more than ever. What happens if the company that holds your online data either goes off line or simply deletes the service where your data is held? If you have copies of everything stored either in your own computer, what happens if you have a hard drive crash or other disaster? If you have one or more recent backup copies, such a loss would be inconvenient but not a disaster.

Of course, you might want to back up more than your genealogy files. Family photographs, your checkbook register, all sorts of word processing documents, email messages, and much more need to be backed up regularly. Why not do that on the first day of each month? or even more often?

To all subscribers of this newsletter:

The latest EOGN Plus Edition newsletter is now available. Here is a list of all of this week's articles:

(+) Today’s Technology: Computers the Size of the Internet

The Myth of Wearing White Gloves

You Can’t Believe the Census Records!

Create Fantastic Family Tree Charts Using Charting Companion for Windows or Macintosh

Saint Andrew's Day

Declaration of Arbroath Signatories’ Descendants Found

New Zealand's Law Commission Finds Flaws in DNA Use for Criminal Investigations, Calls for Overhaul

Isle of Man 'Rich Sound Archive' to Be Digitised

Findmypast Publish Vast New Collection of Scottish Monumental Inscriptions in Collaboration With Society Partners Across the Country

The article with a plus sign (+) in the title is only visible to Plus Edition subscribers.

The following announcement was written by Findmypast:

• • Over one million Scottish epitaphs, monuments and memorial inscriptions now fully searchable online at Findmypast.
  • Spanning 1000 years of Scottish history, new collection covers over 800 burial grounds across the country and includes monuments that have long been lost to time
  • Published online for the first time thanks to new technology and a grassroots project between Findmypast and local volunteers
  • Contains some of the most interesting figures for Scottish history including Kings, Queens, the Maid of Norway, Flora MacDonald and Adam Smith.

Leading UK family history website Findmypast has today announced the publication of a vast new online collection of Scottish Monumental Inscriptions in collaboration with Society partners across the country.

Published online for the first time and available exclusively at Findmypast, “Scotland Monumental Inscriptions” enables anyone, anywhere in the world to discover their Scottish ancestors and explore the nation’s historic burial grounds from the comfort of home.

Spanning almost 1000 years of history with records dating back to 1093, this comprehensive online archive covers over 800 burial sites in 688 parishes (80% of the nation) across all 34 historical Scottish counties.

Inscriptions from some the most famous burial sites in Scotland such as Edinburgh Greyfriars & Canongate Kirkyards, the Dundee Howff, and Dunfermline Abbey Churchyard can now be accessed by family historians and history enthusiasts alike, to discover the stories behind the stones. 

This revolutionary new resource is the result of a collaborative grassroots project between Findmypast and 10 Scottish local and national family history societies including:

• • Aberdeen & North East Scotland FHS
  • Caithness FHS
  • Dumfries & Galloway FHS
  • East Ayrshire FHS
  • Highland FHS
  • Lanarkshire FHS
  • Moray Burial Ground Research Group
  • Scottish Genealogy Society
  • Tay Valley FHS
  • Troon@Ayrshire FHS

The work of hundreds of passionate volunteers to transcribe memorials and gravestones from all over Scotland has now been made fully searchable online for the very first time.

Names, dates, locations and other biographical details such as additional family members, occupations, causes of death and more were transcribed and then digitally converted thanks to new, proprietary technology to create a national index that unlocks the long-forgotten secrets of Scotland’s dead.

Chronicling the lives and deaths of almost 1.1 million deceased, the collection has been created by merging almost 600,000 newly created records with existing documents already available on Findmypast, to create the largest single collection of its kind.

This collection also includes records of inscriptions found on buried stones, uncovered through archaeological survey with their details recorded for the first time in centuries. In addition, old books and local histories were used to document memorials that have long since been lost due lost to erosion, weathering or simply time itself, allowing researchers to gain unique new insights into to the lives of those who lived and died many centuries ago.

Some of Scotland’s most renowned sons and daughters can be found within the collection, including monarchs and their favored courtiers, Covenanters, Jacobites and revolutionaries, not to mention many thousands of poets, artists, musicians, artisans, tradespeople, laborers and more.

Myko Clelland, Regional Licensing & Outreach Manager at Findmypast said ‘Scotland is a nation of stories, but so many lie forgotten in cemeteries across the country. Through the tireless efforts of local expert volunteers, combined with new technology, these stories can be told for the first time online. What better way to bring these tales to life, than to let descendants tell these tales for themselves?’

Other new additions available to search this Findmypast Friday:

Caribbean First World War Rolls of Honour

Find out if your Caribbean ancestor fought for Britain in the First World War with new rolls of honour from The Bahamas, Barbados, St Kitts & Nevis and Bermuda. Many of the men listed in this collection served in the British West Indies Regiment. These records can reveal their names, service numbers and, sometimes, how, when and where they died.

United States, World War II Casualty Lists

Held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), these records can tell you your family heroes' names, ranks and parents' details. This initial release covers the U.S. Navy. Records from the other arms of the military services will be added over time.

British Army, Coldstream Guards 1800-1947

Now available in their own standalone record set, Findmypast have added even more service records from this famous regiment. Each record features a transcript and a full-colour, digitised copy of the original record. Use them to discover details about your army ancestors that you won't find anywhere else.

Newspapers

Four brand new publications and updates to over 20 others are now available to search on Findmypast. New to the collection are:

• • Coleshill Chronicle from 1874, 1878-1880, 1882-1887, 1889-1895 and 1897-1900
  • Leicester Evening Mail from 1929-1931
  • Rugeley Times from 1926-1984
  • Warrington Examiner from 1870-1875, 1884-1888, 1891, 1894, 1903 and 1905-1908

While the following 23 newspapers have been supplemented with additional coverage:

• • Aberystwyth Times covering 1870
  • Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, Glamorgan, Monmouth, and Brecon Gazette covering 1845, 1848-1849, 1854-1855, 1858 and 1866-1867
  • Cardiff Times covering 1871 and 1876
  • Carmarthen Weekly Reporter covering 1896-1900
  • Civil & Military Gazette (Pakistan) covering 1881-1883, 1885, 1887, 1895-1898, 1900-1905 and 1907-1909
  • Dundee Courier covering 1992
  • Glamorgan Free Press covering 1899
  • Halifax Evening Courier covering 1960
  • Kinematograph Weekly covering 1932
  • Lynn Advertiser covering 1913-1925 and 1929-1944
  • Mansfield & Sutton Recorder covering 1989
  • Monmouthshire Merlin covering 1841-1842, 1844-1848, 1852-1853, 1856-1870, 1872-1873, 1875-1877 and 1879-1880
  • Montgomery County Times and Shropshire and Mid-Wales Advertiser covering 1894-1896 and 1899-1900
  • Pontypool Free Press covering 1886-1889
  • Reynolds’s Newspaper covering 1901-1911
  • Rhyl Record and Advertiser covering 1878 and 1888-1900
  • South Wales Daily News covering 1874, 1891, 1893 and 1898
  • South Wales Daily Post covering 1895
  • South Wales Echo covering 1881, 1886 and 1889
  • Tablet covering 1908
  • Usk Observer covering 1856-1858, 1861 and 1866
  • Widnes Examiner covering 1885-1886, 1888, 1890 and 1892
  • Wrexham Guardian and Denbighshire and Flintshire Advertiser covering 1875 and 1877-1879